What Would You Do?
by AnimeRoxx
Summary: Based on the song "What Would You Do?" by City High. Ally is a single mother who will do anything to make sure her 3 year old son, Alex, has what he needs to live. One night while she is at work, she meets a blonde haired man who asks her why she works there. "What would you do if your son was at home, crying all alone on the bedroom floor because he's hungry?"
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"Make, make, make 'um do a double take!" I sang as I danced around my bedroom.

"Mommy!" My sweet little boy laughed. "You're funny!"

I grinned at my little 3 year old. I loved him more than life. But, his father... My blood ran cold even thinking about him. At least my son had my curly, brown hair, my chocolate, almond shaped eyes, and my quirks. He was basically a mini me! Hardly a thing of his father in him. Aside from his tanned skin.

"Mommy's gotta get ready for work, Alex. Ready to go?" His smile dropped from his face.

"Mommy... You always go to work. Can't you stay home with me?" He pulled his puppy dog pout.

I flinched. I hated this. Despised it. We barely have any money. I could barely afford to keep my apartment. My best friend occasionally pays my rent, which I hate. She has a very well paying job, but I feel useless. I couldn't find a job that payed well. So I went with my last resort. I am a stripper and prostitute. I hated my job. But what would you do if you had a 3 year old son, and you couldn't afford to keep food on the table?

"I'm sorry, little bear. So sorry." I hugged his little body close to mine. "I wish I could stay with you and sing and dance all day, everyday." I kissed his cheek. "I love you."

Alex wrapped his arms around my neck. "I love you too, Mommy. Can we go to the park tomorrow?"

Hope shined in his little eyes, and there is nothing that could make me refuse. "Sure thing! We can even go out for ice cream!"

A smile lit up his face. "Yay! I love ice cream!"

"Okay. Now, go grab your jacket and we can head over to Auntie Tish's!"

When he first started learning to talk, he couldn't quite pronounce his r's. So, instead of saying Trish, he called her Tish. Alex is the only one she allows to call her that. If anyone else were to try... Well, let's just say that it wouldn't end well.

"Ready, ready, ready!" Alex yelled as he ran to the front door.

I laughed as I grabbed my bag, which held my change of clothes, and my purse. I grabbed his little hand and we walked out of my apartment and down the three flights of stairs. Trish only lived a block away so we walked.

A few seconds after I rang the doorbell, a short girl with bright copper red hair answered the door.

"Aunt Ally!" She flung her arms around my waist. She was 6 years old and already half my height.

"Hey Daph!" I greeted my best friend's daughter. I followed her inside and spotted Trish at the stove. "Trish!"

She whipped her head around and smiled. "Ally! Just in time for supper. Hey Alex, are you hungry?"

"I'm starving, Auntie Tish!" I winced. We don't have a lot of food, but most of it goes to him. I barely scrape by, but it's more important for my little bear to have as much food as he could.

"Well, you're lucky then! I'm making your favorite!" Trish walked over to us.

"You mean...?" Excitement radiated off of his little body. Trish nodded. "PANCAKES!"

He started running in circles around me. I laughed. I have never met anyone who gets so excited about pancakes. His father didn't. And I certainly don't! But if it were pickles...

"You should have some to eat really fast before you go to...work." Trish winced. She hated what I did for money. If she could, she would make me live here with her and support me herself with her's and her husband's jobs. But, even though her job pays well, it isn't enough to support 5 people.

"That sounds nice." I smiled at her. I'm so lucky to have her after all of these years. We have been best friends since we were itty bitty. And now here we are 24 and still just as close.

We all gathered around her table as she set out the plates. I noticed an extra one.

"Oh, is Dez coming home early?" I questioned.

Her face glowed. "Yes he sure is!" Then her face dropped a little. "He uh, broke his leg over in Iraq. They honorably discharged him!"

"That's wonderful and sad at the same time!" I told her.

"I can't wait to see Daddy!" Daphne said. "It's been forever!"

"It's been 5 months, sweetie." Trish corrected her.

"Well, close enough. At least he gets to be here when I start first grade!" Daphne exclaimed and dug into the pancakes her mom put on her plate.

Trish and I laughed at her. She finished handing out the pancakes. And we all ate quietly. A couple minutes later we heard the door open and close.

"DADDY!" Daphne took off running towards the front door and clutched her arms around Dez's leg that wasn't covered with a cast.

"Hey, my favorite little girl!" Dez looked down at her lovingly. "I've missed you and mommy so much!"

Trish went over and released her daughter's arms from her husband's legs. "I love you." She declared and kissed him.

"I love you too," Dez replied as they pulled apart.

"Eww!" Daphne exclaimed and ran back over to me.

"Ally!" Dez exclaimed when he saw me.

"Hey there, cooper top." I replied to which he rolled his eyes. "Thanks for the pancakes, Trish. But I gotta get going. Bye, little bear!" I kissed Alex's cheek.

"Bye, Mama bear!" He kissed my cheek.

I gave him one final hug, then headed over to Trish and wrapped my arms around her. "Thank you."

She wrapped her arms in a tight hug around me. "I love you, Ally!"

"I love you too. Bye Dez." I said as I walked to the door.

"See ya later, alligator." He replied.

I walked the five blocks to my destination.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Bare Necessity. Funny, it reminds me of "The Jungle Book." The simple bare necessities of life! But this place, no where near "The Jungle Book." This place is my job. Definitely not a place for children.

I greeted the security guard, Joe. He is an older man, around fifty. He is the nicest of the security guards at this place. I slipped into my room and changed into my spare outfit. A tight, red, bra-like top and a black one size too small pair of bikini bottoms. To top it off, I strapped on my red 6 inch stilettos.

I looked into my vanity mirror and grabbed my straightener and went to work. After making my hair pin-straight, I applied smoky eyeshadow and bright, blood red lipstick. I hate makeup. But, now I'm ready. I glanced at the clock on the wall. 7:53pm. 7 minutes to spare.

I locked my door and headed out towards the stage and started my show.

~~A&A~~A&A~~A&A~~A&A~~

Finally. Two o'clock is here. The only good thing about this job is the short hours mixed with just enough pay. I told Joe bye, and headed to Trish's. I unlocked her door with my spare key and headed to the living room, where Alex should be sleeping.

I gathered his stuff and gently picked him up onto my right hip. I made my way to Trish's study.

"See you later, Trish. Thank you again!"

"Not a single problem, dear! He is such a sweet little thing. You've really done a great job!" Trish praised.

I smiled. "Thanks. Tomorrow, Alex and I are going to the park and out for ice cream. Do you, Dez, and Daph wanna join?"

"We gotta head over to the doctor's in the morning for a check up on Dez's leg. How about we meet you guys for ice cream after? I will text you when we are finished at the appointment."

"Sounds great! I'll see you tomorrow, then!" I replied and headed home.

I tucked Alex into the right side of our bed and went to clean up. After cleaning off all the make-up and showering, I climbed into bed and slowly drifted off into a peaceful sleep right next to my little miracle.

~~A&A~~A&A~~A&A~~A&A~~

"Mommy, wake up! Wake up!" I yawned and looked at the alarm clock. 10am.

"I'm up." I said. "Let's get ready to go!"

He jumped around excitedly. I laughed at how excited just going to the park made him. I gathered out clothes and got us dressed. Shortly after, we grabbed our jackets and headed the short walk to the park.

"Mommy! Push me!" Alex yelled as he ran over to the swings and hopped on.

I slowly pushed him and smiled at his screams of happiness. I looked up ahead and saw a man. He looked about my age. He had messy blonde hair, and he was really tan. What really captured my attention, though, were his caramel brown eyes that just happened to be staring straight into mine. A blush covered my cheeks, and I quickly looked down at my son.

He was so happy. A smile graced my features. Oh, what I would give to have my childhood innocence back. I glanced back up to where the man was, and he was gone. Huh, maybe I just imagined him.

"How about we go slide down the big slide?" I asked him.

"Yea!" Alex screamed and promptly jumped out of the swing, landing a little wobbly on his feet.

"Alex! Be careful. You could get hurt!" I said worriedly as I ran over to him.

"Sorry, momma." He said.

"It's alright. Now come on!" I grabbed his little body and jogged over to the slide.

~~A&A~~A&A~~A&A~~A&A~~

It was now 2pm, and we just finished playing at the park. I sent Trish a quick text letting her know that we were on our way to the Dairy Queen down the street. She replied back right away saying she is just leaving the doctors.

"Auntie Tish, Uncle Dez, and Daphne are going to meet us at Dairy Queen." I let Alex know, knowing that he'd be happy.

"Yay!" He exclaimed and took off running. Straight towards the road!

"ALEX!" I screamed and darted after him. I saw a car coming, and Alex had frozen in the street.

It happened so fast. One moment, I was sprinting after my son as a car barreled towards him. The next, the same blonde haired man from before snatched him out of the road just in time, and I fell to the ground relieved. Tears started pouring down my cheeks.

The man walked towards me carrying Alex, who was also crying and clutching his shirt. I picked myself off the ground and took Alex from him, cradling him to my chest.

"Thank you! Thank you so much!" I cried. "If you hadn't been there.."

He cut me off. "You're welcome. I couldn't just stand by and watch. He's adorable, by the way."

I smiled through my tears. "Thank you. He's all I got. I dunno what I'd do if something happened to him." More tears started to come.

"Hey, hey. Don't cry. He's perfectly safe!" He said as he wiped the tears off my cheeks, resulting in a light blush to appear.

"Yea, I know. Thank you, again. I have to repay you somehow. Would you like to join us and my best friend's family for ice cream? I'll buy." I offered.

He smiled. "Sure thing. That sounds great. I have to work in an hour, so I can't stay too long."

"Okay! I'm Ally, by the way." I said.

"Austin. Nice to meet you." He said, and we safely crossed the street and continued on our way to Dairy Queen.

~~A&A~~A&A~~A&A~~A&A~~

"Ally! Over here!" Trish yelled.

I headed over to the booth, Alex in my arms and Austin trailing behind. I set Alex, who had finally calmed down, nearest the window and slid in next to him. I looked towards Austin, smiled, and gestured to the spot next to me, and he sat down.

I looked over to Trish and Dez, who had confused looks on their faces. "Guys, this is Austin." I turned to Austin. "Austin, this is Trish," I pointed to be Latina best friend, "and her husband Dez." I pointed to the male red-head. "And she is their daughter, Daphne."

"Hey, nice to meet you. I'm Austin!" He introduced himself. I rolled my eyes, because I had already addressed that.

"Yea, nice to meet you and all, but how do you two know each other?" Trish questioned.

"Um... Well, Alex.." I started.

"We just met on the walk here. I helped her with Alex, and she offered that I tag along for some ice cream in return." Austin said vaguely.

I smiled at him gratefully. I definitely did not want to relive that story again.

"It's nice to meet you, Austin!" Dez said.

"You too!" Austin agreed.

"Do you like Zaliens?" Dez randomly asked excitedly.

"Of course! Who doesn't?" Austin replied.

Dez, not realizing that the question was rhetorical, said, "Ally."

He looked at me, and I blushed embarrassed. "It's just.. Horror movies put me to sleep."

Austin just laughed and continued on having a conversation with Dez. I looked at Trish, and she was grinning. She subtly winked at me, and I looked down, my face red-hot.

We continued hanging out long after Austin said his goodbyes for work. Trish and Dez took Alex with them to their house, while I went home and got my clothes for tonight.

Little did I know that work tonight wouldn't be the same.

 **A/N: Hey guys! Thanks for the support on this story. I'm typing this all on my iPhone, so there will probably be some mistakes, but I'm trying to correct them. I hope you all are enjoying this story so far! Austin has finally made his appearance! I'm excited to type the next chapter!**

 **Please review :)**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

An hour until we closed, I saw him. He was sitting in a booth drinking what looked like water. And the worst part? He was looking directly at me. And who was this guy, you ask? Austin. The very same Austin that saved my son's life earlier today. I quickly looked away from him and towards the three drunk men below me throwing me cash. Just one more hour. One more hour and then maybe I can make it out of here without running into him. Maybe he doesn't know it is me? Who am I kidding, he had a confused look on his face as if wondering what I am doing. I pushed him out of my mind and focused instead on getting as many tips as I could.

~~A&A~~A&A~~A&A~~A&A~~

I peeked around the corner of the hallway. Clear. A straight shot for the exit. I can do this. I nearly sprinted towards the exit, then I heard it.

"Ally!" Darn it. He was standing in the hallway right next to the exit. I sighed and turned to meet him.

"Oh, heeeey Austin." I said awkwardly. "Fancy seeing you here." I grabbed a chunk of my bouncy curly hair and shoved it in my mouth and gnawed away.

He just looked at me. "Do you, uh... Do you work here?"

"Nooo, I just dance half naked in front of a bunch of drunk guys for fun." I replied sarcastically with a roll of my eyes.

"Why? You have son! Why work at a place like this?" He seemed a little agitated, but it could have just been me.

"That's exactly why I work here!" I said angrily. "I have a son! I need to make money to support him. I can't bear to hear him crying because we don't have enough food to feed him. And even working here, I barely can afford my apartment! And the dumb sperm donor doesn't even help out one bit. Actually, I pretty sure he is in prison now! What else am I supposed to do? I need to do this. I need to be able to keep food on the table and a roof over my sons head! I need..." I couldn't stop it anymore. I burst into tears.

Austin hesitated for a moment, then cautiously wrapped his arms around me. I clutched his jacket and cried into his chest. I cried until my eyes stung. I cried until my knees were weak. I cried until I couldn't remember anything else of that night.

~~A&A~~A&A~~A&A~~A&A~~

The next thing I knew, I woke up in my bedroom, dressed in a pair of my old red high school sweats and a lose fitting yellow t-shirt. How did I get here? Alex!

I jumped out of bed and stumbled my way into the living room. No sign of Alex anywhere. But... Do I smell pancakes? I sprinted to the kitchen and froze. Standing there at the stove was a shirtless Austin, wearing nothing but his red plaid pajama bottoms. He was flipping pancakes while chatting with Alex, who was sitting on the counter next to him laughing at something that was just said. He then looked over and saw me.

"Mommy! You're up!" He jumped off the counter, landed on his butt, then got up and ran to me.

I picked him up as soon as he got within arms reach. "Umm, Austin? What's going on?"

He just smiled at me as he placed the last pancake on the giant stack of pancakes sitting on the table. "You fell asleep last night after work, and I brought you to Trish's. She gave me your spare key, and we brought both you and Alex back here. She got you ready for bed while I got Alex ready. You okay?" He was referring to my breakdown last night.

I looked away. "Yea. I'm sorry. I just, sorry."

"Hey, don't worry about it!"

"Why are you still here though? Wouldn't you have rather gone home?" I asked. That's when Alex spoke up.

"I asked him to stay! He is really nice!" Then he joyfully added, "And he loves PANCAKES!"

"Who doesn't love pancakes?! They are like the best food ever created!" Austin exclaimed. Well, I guess there are two people in this world who are obsessed over pancakes. "I'm NOT obsessed! They are just the most amazing thing ever!"

I blushed. Oops, I said that out loud.. "Ha.. I just. Nevermind. But you are in this world can beat pickles!" I argued.

"Pancakes!"

"Pickles!"

"You're wrong!"

Alex laughed. "Pancakes!"

I scowled while Austin grinned triumphantly. "Let's just eat." I grumbled.

~~A&A~~A&A~~A&A~~A&A~~

After breakfast, we all got ready, well except for Austin who forgot to bring a change of clothes.

"So, what are you guys doing today?" Austin asked after we were all dressed for the day.

"Well, it's Sunday. And I don't work on Sunday nights. So we usually go to Trish's for supper and family fun night. I think it's Dez's turn to pick out what we are doing. You in?" I asked.

"Yea, sure! They're great!" Austin grinned. "And I don't really have close friends. I usually just work at my parents mattress store or play my instruments."

"You play music?" I asked excitedly. "I write it all the... Forget I said that."

"Wait, you write music?" He asked. "I can't write a good song worth anything!"

I looked everywhere but at him. "Whaaaat? I don't write songs. Why would you think I write songs? I mean, I might have done it in the past. But not anymore. Well, not anymore as in recently. I just-" he cut me off by laughing. "What?"

"You're rambling." He grinned. "Well maybe I can see one of these songs you don't write sometime?" He asked with hope evident in his voice. And he was using puppy dog eyes. Dang it!

I caved. "Maybe. But not today!" I shook my head quickly from side to side. "Nope, not today!"

He laughed and agreed. "Well, I'm gonna head home and shower. I'll see you tonight?"

I smiled at him. "Yep! Tonight at 5."

"Okay. See you then! Bye Alex!" He ruffled his brown hair. Then did the same to mine. "See you later, Ally-gator!"

I rolled my eyes while Alex hugged his legs goodbye. "Bye, Austin." We both said.

With one final wave he headed out our front door. And for some reason, I couldn't wipe the smile off my my face for the rest of the morning.

 **A/N: Thank you guys for following my story! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Review :)**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"Come on, come on, come on! We're gonna be late!" Alex exclaimed as he pulled at my hand.

I laughed. "We're almost there. Don't worry! See? There's her house."

We walked up the stairs as Trish opened the door.

"I could hear Alex from inside." Trish laughed. "We're ordering pizza and having a movie night. Sound good?"

"Perfect!" I said.

"Mommy. When is Austin gonna be here?" Alex asked looking up at me.

"Austin's coming?" Trish asked. "The more the merrier. He'll give Dez someone to talk to."

"He should be here soon. Let's go to the living room, alright?" He nodded in reply and dashed off.

I looked up at Trish who was grinning. I instantly blushed. "Austin's coming, huh? So, anything I should know?"

"Whaaaat? Psh, no. Nothing at all. I don't like him or anything. Alex just wanted him to come, and he is very nice, and-"

"Ally!" She cut me off, then smirked. "I didn't say anything about you liking him." My blush got darker. "But, hey. He's cute. And your son likes him. You never know. Give it a shot!"

I just shook my head and went to the living room. Shortly after, there was a knock on the front door. Trish answered it.

"Guess who's here?" Trish said as she entered the living room, Austin following.

"Austin!" Alex exclaimed and ran up to him.

Austin picked him up. "Hey, little guy! Told you I'd come!"

Alex just grinned and hung his arms around his neck. Austin walked over to sit on the couch that I was occupying. I smiled at how good he is with Alex. You know, maybe Trish is right...

"When is the pizza gonna-" Daphne started but stopped as soon as there was a knock at the door. "PIZZA!"

Dez handed Daphne the money, and she took off towards the door, Trish following behind.

"So, what are we doing?" Austin asked as he situated Alex on his lap.

Dez answered him. "We're watching a movie and eating pizza!"

"What movie?"

"Only the best movie ever made in existence!" Dez exclaimed.

"Seriously? You mean Zaliens?" Austin asked excitedly.

Dez nodded enthusiastically, and Austin cheered. Trish and Daphne brought the pizza boxes to the coffee table, then Trish started the movie.

~~A&A~~A&A~~A&A~~A&A~~

"How can you find that boring?" Austin exclaimed looking at me after the movie finished.

"Shh!" I indicated to Alex's sleeping body curled up on his lap. He mouthed sorry. "And they just aren't interesting. And the graphics are so bad. I'm gonna go take Alex to the bedroom. I'll be right back."

I took him to the guest room that he usually stays in and tucked him in. I kissed his forehead. "I love you." I whispered.

I headed back out to the others and saw Daphne headed down the hall rubbing her eyes.

"You headed to bed?" I asked and she nodded in reply.

"Goodnight, Daph." I told her.

"Night, Aunt Ally." She replied, and we went our separate ways.

"So, when did you guys get together?" Austin asked Dez.

"Oh, we used to hate each other up until freshman year. That's when Ally moved here, and she is the one that actually brought us together. By the end of freshman year, we were close friends. And by the beginning of sophomore year, we were a couple. We got married right out of high school because I was going into the army, and well, Daphne is a honeymoon baby!" Dez said with a happy gleam in his eyes.

"And they are so cute together! I could tell that Trish liked him as soon as I met her!" I said happily. "So, I HAD to do something!"

Everyone laughed. The rest of the night was spent getting to know each other more. Dez and Austin clicked really well. They act like they have known each other all of their lives. And Trish didn't mind having an extra friend around. That family fun night was the best one we've ever had.

~~A&A~~A&A~~A&A~~A&A~~

"Come on, Alex. Time to go!" I tried to shake him awake, but to no avail. He wouldn't budge.

"I can carry him, if you want?" Austin offered.

I looked back at the doorway, where he was leaning on the doorframe. I sent him a smile. "That would be really great, actually."

I stood up as he walked over and carefully picked up Alex. Alex sleepily snuggled into his chest.

We headed out towards the front door. "See you later, Trish." I hugged her.

"Bye!" She said, then whispered in my ear. "He so likes you."

I blushed and pulled away. I didn't reply to her and said my goodbye to Dez.

"See ya later, man! Video game marathon tomorrow?" Austin asked.

"Of course!" Dez said.

Austin shifted Alex where he was supporting him with one arm, and did his and Dez's new 'What-up?' handshake.

We headed out the door and headed to my apartment.

"Thanks, Austin." I smiled at him.

"It's no problem at all." He replied. "So, about those songs..." He trailed off.

I shook my head. "Okay, how about next Sunday. You can come over for lunch. Alex takes a nap right after lunch, and I can show you then?" I offered.

"Sounds great!" He said.

We walked in comfortable silence the rest of the way to my apartment. He followed me into Alex's bedroom and tucked him in.

We made our way back to the living room, and I turned to him.

"So, I'll see you Sunday?" I asked.

"Definitely! Here, my phone number!" He grabbed a loose piece of paper and scribbled down his number. "Maybe we could all hang out sometime this week?"

"Yea, sure." I said. "Goodnight, Austin."

"Goodnight, Ally." He replied. He hesitated, then did something I did not expect. He leaned forward and placed a kiss on my left cheek. He pulled away and smiled. "Bye."

My face burned bright red. I was frozen in place. I didn't even move as he left out the front door. I think Trish is right. But, am I ready to have a relationship? And what am I going to do about my job? How can someone even want to date a stripper?

 **A/N: Hey, guys! Sorry for the wait! I have been pretty busy getting ready for my sophomore year of college. I start the 24th, so updates are going to be slower. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter!**

 **Please review! :)**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Austin and I texted often throughout the coming week, but we didn't get a chance to hang out. His parents needed his help at the Mattress Store because they had to go to a convention in another state.

Finally Sunday morning rolled around, and I sat in the storage room of our apartment at my old keyboard I've had since I was little. I stared at the ivory and ebony keys contemplating what to play. I needed to psych myself up to play in front of Austin in a couple hours. I have never played in front of anyone. Ever. Not even my Dad has heard me play!

I decided to practice my song "You Don't See Me." It's one of the first few songs I wrote.

"Wow, you're amazing!" I heard a whisper behind me, and my playing faltered hitting the worst combination of keys causing a terrible noise as I squeaked in surprise.

"Austin! I thought you were coming for lunch!" I said as I glanced at the clock. "It's only 9am! How did you even get in here?"

"Alex let me in. I had free time, and I missed my little guy." I smiled as he referred to Alex as his little guy. "And his beautiful mother!" He grinned brightly.

I blushed. Ever since that kiss on the cheek, he has been giving me compliments left and right. Every morning, it's "Good morning, beautiful :)" and every night, it's "Sweet dreams, princess :)". And every message left me giddy and smiling for hours.

"Well, I missed you too." I smiled softly at him.

He made is way around and sat on the bench with me. "You are an amazing singer, you know that, right?"

I shook my head. "Do you play?" I tried to drift the topic away from me.

"Of course! I can play anything! Piano, guitar, drums. I can even play a trumpet through another trumpet!" He said excitedly.

I laughed. "Okay, well play something!"

We spent two hours taking turns playing piano covers of popular songs. He even found my songbook, which I smacked his hand for touching, and suggested writing a song together. By the time lunch rolled around, we finished our first ever duet together, "You Can Come to Me".

"Mommy, I'm hungry!" Alex cried as he came into the storage room.

Austin picked him up and told him, "How about you and me go play with your awesome," he put extra emphasis on that word, "toys while mommy goes and makes some yummy food?"

"Okay!" Alex exclaimed smiling brightly and wiggled out of his grasp just to grab his hand and drag him out of the room and to his bedroom.

I smiled to myself as I headed to the kitchen to make the last box of mac-n-cheese we had. Man, I need to see if Trish will lend me some money for food since my SNAP won't be in for another week.

I sighed and then smiled again thinking about Austin. He is such a great guy. Funny, nice, caring, and best of all, he adores Alex. I could picture a future with him. The only thing standing in the way of that is my job. But what else can I do?

I dipped out the plates and added some of Alex's favorite side, Animal Crackers, and went to get the boys.

When I entered the bedroom, I halted. They were dressed up as Batman and Robin. Alex was Batman and Austin was Robin. Austin was running around the room with Alex on his shoulders as they pretended to fight bad guys.

"Alright, Dynamic Duo. Time to take a break from the crime fighting and eat some lunch!" I said.

They followed me to the table, and we all ate in peace. After lunch, I took Alex to his bedroom for his nap.

"So, we already did our music session. So what do you want to do now?" I asked as I went to the living room where Austin was waiting.

"Weeeell, I was thinking..." He trailed off and then looked away. He cleared his throat and looked back at me. "Um, well, I like you. And I was wondering if you wanted to be my girlfriend?"

I froze. So he DID like me. He shifted nervously, then my face broke into a smile.

"I would love to! But..." I paused. "Um, my job..."

"I've been thinking about it all week! And well, you write songs, but you have stage fright. And I love to perform! But have zero song writing skills. We could become partners!" He exclaimed.

"Austin.." I started. "Making it in music is a one in a millionth chance."

I had always dreamed of becoming a singer/songwriter. But my Dad always told me that there is barely any chance of it happening.

"You don't realize how amazing of a writer you are! We could do it! I know it!" Austin said happily.

I thought about it. Well, it was worth a shot. If it doesn't work, it's not like I will have lost anything. But if it does work...

"Okay." I smiled. "Let's do it!"

 **A/N: Sorry for the late post! I intended to upload earlier this week, but I had so much homework! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

 **Please review :)**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"Trish! I don't know what to wear!" I fretted to my best friend.

Currently, I was throwing every article of clothing that I owned out of my closet and onto my bedroom floor.

"Relax, Ally! You guys are just going to see a movie. Just wear your normal blouse and skirt combo, and you'll be fine!" Trish assured me.

I turned from my closet door and faced my best friend. "But, we aren't just hanging out!" I exclaimed exasperatedly. "It's a date! A date! What if he see that I just wore my regular clothes, and he thinks I don't care! He will get the wrong impression, and then he will think I don't like him in that way. And then it will all be awkward, and-"

"Ally!" Trish interrupted. "Austin likes you for you. He won't think that way. Trust me."

I sighed. "I guess you're right."

"Of course I'm right!" She smirked. "It's been how long since he asked you out?"

"A month." I muttered. "But it's our first OFFICIAL date! By ourselves!"

"Mommy! Austin's here!" Alex exclaimed, before Trish could reply, as he ran into my bedroom. "You look pretty, mommy!"

I smiled. "Alright. I guess I'll go with my original outfit then." If Alex likes it, then surely Austin will too.

"Okay, come on, Alex. Mommy has a date!" Trish elongated the last word.

"Are mommy and Austin going to get married?" Alex innocently asked.

My face flamed bright red while Trish burst out laughing. I heard a chuckle from the doorway and got even more embarrassed to find out that Austin heard Alex's question.

"Okay, bye!" I exclaimed as I marched past Austin and out the front door, my face as red as a firetruck.

I made my way to the front of the apartment building and heard Austin follow out shortly after. My face was still pink, but I still faced him and smiled. He was grinning ear to ear.

"You look beautiful." He complimented as he grabbed my hand.

"And you look hot!" I automatically replied.

He laughed, but it was true. He had on black converse, ripped blue jeans, a form fitting, deep red shirt, and his whistle necklace. And his hair was that messy style that I loved and flopped just the right way. And he smelled like a fresh summer breeze.

Austin tugged my hand bringing me out of my thoughts. "Shall we get going?"

I nodded. We set out on our 15 minute walk to the movie theatre. The weather was perfect for cloud watching. We could hear the birds chirping up in the trees and the laughter from little kids playing at the park. It was peaceful. I smiled and started humming a random tune.

"So I was thinking we could watch a comedy?" Austin suggested as we neared the theatre.

"Sounds great! I love a good comedy." I agreed.

"Alright. So how about...Pitch Perfect 2?"

"Yes! I've been wanting to see that!" I exclaimed happily.

Austin smiled and led us to the ticket desk. "2 for Pitch Perfect 2, please."

"Sure thing." The lady, Cassidy according to her name-tag, openly check out Austin. She ran her eyes up and down Austin's figure. Jealousy flared inside me, but was soon extinguished when Austin wrapped his arm around my shoulders and kissed my cheek. Cassidy frowned while my face flushed.

She handed us the tickets without another word, and we made our way in. Austin started laughing, which caused me to smile. His happiness was contagious.

"Don't worry, Ally-cat. My eyes are set on you." He removed his arm from my shoulders and grabbed my hand instead.

We ordered our popcorn and made our way into Room 3, where our movie was just starting.

~~A&A~~A&A~~A&A~~A&A~~

"That was great!" I exclaimed as we walked out of the theatre a few hours later.

"Eh, I thought the first one was better. But being with you made it worth it." Austin replied.

I rolled my eyes and smacked his arm lightly. "Whatever."

"Soo..." He dragged out the 'o'. "I've got a surprise for you!"

"What is it?" I asked excitedly.

"Just come on! It's right down the road!" Austin grinned and grabbed my hand as he took off running down the sidewalk.

"Austin! I can't run that fast! I'm in heels!" I said as I struggled to keep pace with him.

He stopped for a moment and bent down in front of me. "Then hop on." I hesitated for a moment. "What, are you too scared?" He joked.

At that, I jumped on his back. He took off running, and I felt like a little girl again. My Dad used to run around with me on his back when I was little all the time. I forgot just how fun it was. I started laughing and wrapped my arms securely, but not too tight, around Austin's neck and rested my chin on his right shoulder. I could see the smile on his face from this position, and it just made me even happier.

He started slowing down, then bent down to let me off of his back.

"We're here!" Austin said as he excitedly bounced on the balls of his feet.

I looked at the building and gasped. "Star Records..?"

"Yea! I got us an audition!"

I just stood there for a minute. An... audition? At a... record label? I looked at Austin as the tears started to well up in my eyes. I threw myself into his arms! This was it! If we could make it, then I could rid myself of my current job. I could keep food on the table, have some more time for Alex, and actually be happy! And it's all thanks to Austin.

"Thank you! Thank you so much!" I pulled away and wiped my eyes. I sent him a grateful smile and asked, "Well, shall we go in?"

~~A&A~~A&A~~A&A~~A&A~~

"Okay, just fill out these forms, and then we'll be all set!" The receptionist handed Austin a clipboard.

"Thank you!" I replied and followed Austin to the chairs across the room.

"Okay, so what do you want us to go by?" Austin questioned.

"Austin&Ally." I replied without hesitation. "There's no way I'd be here without you. Oh wait, those will make great song lyrics!" I exclaimed as I dug my songbook out of my bag and scribbled them down before I forgot.

Austin laughed while he wrote it down. The rest of the questions were straightforward enough. Before long, we finished all the paperwork and turned it in.

"Thank you. We will call you when they are ready!"

We nodded and returned to the waiting chairs.

"So, how is this going to go?" I asked as realization dawned on me. "I can't sing in front of them!"

Austin squeezed my hand. "Don't worry. I'll do the singing. I'll sing a song, and we can show him one of your originals. And make sure he knows that we are a package deal. He can't have one of us without the other."

That calmed me down. I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Austin&Ally!"

I squeaked. We got up and headed down the hall.

"Well, here you guys go. Good luck!" The man said as he opened the door for us.

"Thanks." Austin and I replied as we headed in.

Well, here goes nothing.

 **A/N: Sorry for taking over a month to get this chapter up! College and working together is time consuming. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter!**

 **Please review! :)**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

"Austin&Ally, I presume?" Questioned a tall dark skinned man.

"Yes, Mr. Star." Austin replied while I simply nodded.

"Okay. And what will you guys be singing today?" He inquired.

"Actually, it will just be me singing." Austin then gestured towards me. "And I'll be singing one of Ally's original songs."

"Alright. Go for it." Mr. Star and his two coworkers readied their papers.

I stood off to the side as Austin took the microphone and began singing A Billion Hits, a song I wrote shortly after I decided that songwriting is something I was serious about.

Before I knew it, Austin was done singing, and we left the building.

"So, we will know by next week?" I asked nervously.

"Yea! I'm stoked! We totally killed it!" Austin exclaimed. "Let's go tell the great news!" He grabbed my hand and took off running to back towards Trish's apartment.

~~A&A~~A&A~~A&A~~A&A~~

"Time to CEL-UH-BRATE!" Dez shouted as we all gathered around their table, us adults with a glass of wine, while the kids had grape juice.

I smiled as I looked around the kitchen table. Daphne was helping Alex with his food. Austin and Dez were animatedly talking while simultaneously shoveling food into their mouths. Don't ask me how they even managed that. And Trish was scolding them on talking with their mouth full. I honestly couldn't ask for better people to have in my life.

"So when do you guys find out?" Trish asked me as she gave up on the boys.

"Next week on Friday!" I said. "But I'm super nervous! I mean, Star Records is a big deal. They only take the best of the best. I mean, Austin is great! Don't get me wrong. I just... I dunno. I just can't believe this is actually happening."

"Maybe you'll actually get to live out your dream." Trish said smiling.

~~A&A~~A&A~~A&A~~A&A~~

The week passed agonizingly slow. And even slower because Austin's parents went on another convention out of state, so he had to go and run the store while they were away.

But finally, dawn broke on Friday morning. I jumped out of bed hardly past six am. Despite the fact that I barely had any sleep, I felt wide awake and completely energized. Since it was still too early to wake up Alex, I decided to get some apartment cleaning done.

When I finished, it was just about nine am, so I made breakfast and woke up Alex.

"What is today?" Alex asked sleepily. He's asked this same question every morning since we auditioned for Star Records.

"Friday." I told him.

He smiled and hopped up and down excitedly in his chair. "Friday! You know today! I hope you and Austin get picked!"

I hugged him. "Well, hurry up and eat, and we can go meet Austin and find out."

With that, he instantly started shoving as much food in his mouth as he could.

Five minutes, and one choking scare, later, we were finished and getting ready for the day. Alex dressed in his favorite yellow t-shirt with SpongeBob on it, blue jeans, and his new red converse Austin bought him a couple weeks ago. I wore my favorite red blouse with my black floral skirt, along with my signature brown ankle boots.

"Come on, mommy! Gotta go now!" He pulled at my hand.

"Okay. Okay." And with that, we headed to Dairy Queen.

~~A&A~~A&A~~A&A~~A&A~~

"Ally! Over here!" Austin yelled, drawing the attention of everyone in Dairy Queen.

"Austin!" Alex yelled just as loud, causing their attention to be turned on us.

I blushed and mumbled a sorry as I hurried to the table. "Geez, guys. No need to be so loud." I said as we sat down.

They just laughed in response. Austin went and ordered our ice cream. When he returned, Alex asked, "You know yet?"

"They are supposed to call in about..." He glanced at his watch. "30 minutes."

"Can't wait!" Alex squealed happily.

We silently ate our ice cream as the 30 minutes slowly decreased. With each minute that passed, I got more and more butterflies in my chest.

5 minutes. I started bouncing my knee and drumming my fingers on the table. After about a minute, Austin rested his hand over mine.

"Hey, Als. Don't worry about it!" He grinned. "Even if it doesn't happen, we gave it our best. We can always try again with another label."

"Yea, you're right." I turned my hand over and laced our fingers together. I grinned back at him.

And right then, the phone rang.

"Hello." Austin said. "Yea, this is Austin. One second, I'm with Ally. Let me put it on speaker."

"Hello. This is Jimmy Star. I was just calling to let you guys know..."

 **A/N: Hey, guys! I want to let you all know, this story will be wrapping up soon! I'm thinking that the next chapter will probably be the last. I appreciate all of you guys reading and/or reviewing! Stay tuned for the next update!**

 **I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Please leave a review :)**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

This past year has been a whirlwind. Who would've thought any of this would happen?

I held Alex as I stared out on stage. Austin was performing his last song of the night in front of thousands of fans.

I can still remember the day this all became a reality.

~~A&A~~A&A~~A&A~~A&A~~

"Hello. This is Jimmy Star. I was just calling to let you guys know that we loved your audition and that we are excited to be working with you."

Austin and I just looked at each other while Alex screamed. Everyone in Dairy Queen took a glance over at us as Alex yelled, "Mommy and Austin made it! Yay, yay, yay!"

Alex threw his arms around my neck. That's when it all processed. We actually did it. I saw Austin start grinning. He got up and pulled Alex and I with him, twirling us around. He pulled me into a big hug, and then right there in the middle of Dairy Queen, kissed me full on the lips.

As he pulled away, he rested his forehead on mine and whispered, "We did it, Ally. You can quit that job. We are going to make it big. I can't believe this! I love you."

~~A&A~~A&A~~A&A~~A&A~~

And I remember, my face was as red as could be. Of course, I told him I loved him back. How could I not?

"There's no way I could make it without you, do it without you, be here without you!" Austin finished out on stage.

The crowd went wild. It's amazing how far we have come in just one year. We started from the bottom, now we're here. I laughed aloud as I realized I just quoted a song from one of Austin's rivals.

"Thank you, Miami! Now, if my lovely girlfriend and Alex could come out here..."

Wait, what? Go out there? In front of all those people?

"Come on, mama. It will be okay." Alex said as he kissed my cheek. "I'll be with you!"

And with his small words of encouragement, I made my way to Austin in the middle of the stage.

He wrapped his arm around me. "This is the brains behind the music. She writes it while I rock it! So tell me, how do you guys like her writing?!" Again, the crowd roared. But this time, it was for me. I smiled and after the crowed died down, I looked at Austin, who had dropped to one knee. My mind went into overdrive.

"Ally, I love you with everything thing I have. Even though we only met a little over a year ago, I know that you are who I want to spend my life with. You are beautiful, smart, caring, and a wonderful mother. It would be my honor to become a part of your family. Allison Marie Dawson, will you marry me?"

Time went in slow motion. I tried to process everything, but I couldn't. Alex poked my cheek.

"Mommy, Austin asked you a question." He said loud enough to be picked up by Austin microphone, causing the crowd to laugh.

"Uh, what was that?" I asked as my face burned, causing Austin to chuckle.

"Will you marry me, Als?" He asked again.

This time it processed through my head. Tears welled up in my eyes and rolled down my cheeks. I nodded my head and whispered, "Yes."

Austin grinned and got up, pulling me towards him. "I love you," he said over the mic.

"I love you too."

And once again the crowd cheered. Not for him. Not for me. But for us. Austin&Ally.

 **A/N: I really wanted to make this longer and to include their wedding, but I just really love that last line. It seems like a perfect way to end this story to me. What do you guys think?**

 **But, if enough people want it, I will make an epilogue for this story including their wedding.**

 **I am sorry it took so long to finish this story. I have had a lot going on with work, college, finals, and some of my close relatives dying or being put in the hospital. I thank you all for your patience and support of my story. It is by far my favorite one I have written!**

 **Let me know if you all enjoyed it as much as I have writing it! :)**


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